Duchy of Swabia

The Duchy of Swabia was a stem duchy of East Francia and the Holy Roman Empire that existed from 915 to 1313. The duchy was located in the southwestern corridor of the empire, and it gained its name from the Germanic Suebi tribe. The first ruler of Swabia was Burchard II of Swabia, and Swabia was the power base of the House of Hohenstaufen from 1079 to 1268 (with brief interruption). In 1268, the last Duke of Swabia, Conradin, was executed by the rival House of Anjou, but Rudolf I of Germany revived the title in 1273 and gave it to his son Rudolf II, Duke of Austria. Rudolf's son John Parricida, the last Duke of Swabia, died without an heir in 1313, leading to the duchy being divided into the County of Wurttemberg, Switzerland, the Margraviate of Baden, the Duchy of Burgundy, Zollern, and the Principality of Furstenberg.